Cartons



United States atent O to Coates Board & Carton Co., Inc, Garfield, N..l., a

corporation of Delaware Filed June 18, 1958, Ser. No. 742,926

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-4551) This invention relates to display cartons and in particular to the construction of a display carton having an opening panel to enable goods within the carton to be displayed.

It is advantageous in merchandising certain classes of goods to be able to expose the goods within a carton, especially in those instances where the goods are of different color and are purchaseable on the basis of subjective color selections. In accordance with the present invention, a display carton is so constructed as to have an opening panel formed as a subdivision of the top wall and one adjacent side wall of the carton, and a transparent sheet serving as a dust-proof protective window shield for goods within the carton is secured to the inside surfaces of the carton top wall and side wall so that by folding the opening panel out of the planes of these two walls the goods within the carton are in effect displayed on the store shelf either from the opening in the top or one side of the carton. This construction constitutes one of the primary objects of the present invention, and another object of the present invention is a particular form of opening panel so constructed as to be capable of disclosing the goods in the foregoing manner while being capable of reverse folding after purchase of the goods to re-cover the display opening, completing closure of the carton.

Another object of the present invention is to so construct the opening panel as to have a portion integral with one side wall of the carton and associated therewith in such a manner that when the opening panel is proper- 1y unfolded a pricing or like data-receiving panel is simultaneously produced enabling the price of the merchandise or other data to be indicated or marked directly on the carton resting on the self in the store.

Thus, the carton of the present invention is characterized by an opening panel having a two-fold purpose, namely, increased saleability by way of unfolding to expose the goods through a transparent sheet on one hand, and the presentation of an integral data-receiving panel on the other hand. In use, store personnel will first fold back the opening panel, stamp the price or otherwise mark data pertaining to the goods on the pricing portion of the opening panel, and then set the carton item on the merchandising shelf with the price indication visible together with the items within the carton. After purchase, the opening panel is reclosed and held down by a closure tab or flap, and the specific construction of the closure tab represents another object of the present invention.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof and what is now considered to be the best mode contemplated for applying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the 2,973,086 Patented Feb. 28, 1961 present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the cardboard blank for constructing the carton shown in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the blank of Fig. 1 in an initial stage of glued assembly and in the form in which the same can be shipped in commerce;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the erected carton and the manner in which the opening panel can be opened and closed; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the carton illustrated in Fig. 3 turned counterclockwise approximately 90 and with the opening panel folded beneath the canton to present the pricing panel.

The carton 10 of the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 in its erected stage or completely constructed form and includes an opening panel 11 which is formed as a subdivision of the top wall 12 and rear wall 13 of the carton. As will be explained below, the opening panel 11 is formed initially as an integral part of the panel blank from which the carton is erected.

The opening panel 11 includes a top portion 11T coplanar with the top wall 12 of the carton when the opening panel is closed, and also includes a pricing portion 11P, Fig. 4, which is coplanar with the rear wall 13 of the carton when the opening panel is closed. One end of the opening panel is permanently secured as will be explained, and the opposite or free end thereof is provided with a closure tab or front flap 11F insertable in a receiving slot S formed in the front side wall 15 of the carton.

When the opening panel 11 is opened in the manner illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, a relatively large area of the top wall of the carton is exposed to enable the goods within the carton to be viewed through a transparent liner sheet 20 of cellophane or the like, and in this connection it will be noted that a relatively large area of the rear wall of the carton is likewise so exposed upon outward folding of the opening panel so that the items within the carton are visible from the top as well as one side of the erected carton 10.

The carton 10 is constructed from a one-piece blank of cardboard indicated at 10B in Fig. 1. The blank 10B is for the most part rectangular in outline and includes a top panel 12A and a bottom panel 21A which will respectively afford the rectangular top and bottom walls 12 and 21 of the carton 10. The panels 12A and 21A are permanently united to a rectangular side panel 13A which will constitute the rear wall of the carton, and this permanent union is along longitudinal parallel fold lines F1 and F2, the transverse spacing between which corresponds to the vertical dimension of the rear wall of the carton. The panel blank 103 also includes a rectangular side panel 15A which will constitute the front wall 15 of the carton, and this panel is joined to the bottom panel 21A along a longitudinal fold line P3.

In constructing the end walls of the carton of the present invention, various different forms of construction may be resorted to'including tuck tabs, but in the present instance, for purposes of simplicity, left and right hand end wall construction 25 and 26, Figs. 3 and 4, is achieved by glue tabs. Thus, referring to Fig. 1, bottom end tabs 25A and 26A of rectangular shape are joined by transverse fold lines F4 and F5 to the ends of the bottom panel 21A, and like top end tabs 25B and 26B are joined to the top panel 12A along transverse fold lines F6 and F7. These end tabs have the transverse dimension of the top and bottom panels 12A and 21A. Preferably, side end tabs 28 and 2.9 are joined to the ends of the front side panel 15A along transverse fold lines F8 and F9 which are colinear with the fold lines F4 and F5; and a like pair of side end tabs 31 and 32 are joined to the ends of the rear side panel 13A along transverse fold lines F10 and F11 also colinear with the fold lines F4 and F5 and with the fold lines F6 and F7. The side end tabs 28 and 29 are separated from the bottom end tabs 25A and 26A by slit or severance lines 33; and the side end tabs 31 and 32 are separated from the bottom end tabs 25A and 26A, and from the top end tabs 25B and 2613, by slit lines 34 and 35 respectively.

A glue flap 40, Fig. 1, is joined to what constitutes the front edge of the top panel 12A along a longitudinal fold line F12, the glue flap 49 having substantially the longitudinal dimension of the top panel 12A. A portion of the inside surface of the glue flap, which is the surface visible in Fig. 1, is provided with a glue strip G81 applied in a conventional glue coating machine, and it will be noted that the glue strip GS1 is discontinuous in the medial area of the glue flap for a purpose to be explained. Likewise, the inside surfaces of the top end tabs 25B and 26B are provided with glue strips G52 and GS3 to enable the latter to be secured to what will be the outside surface of the bottom end tabs 25A and 26A as will be explained.

The opening panel 11 is permanently united to the rear panel 13A along a longitudinal fold line F13. It will be noted that the opposite ends of this fold line terminate inwardly of the fold lines F10 and F11 which join the side end tabs 31 and 32 to the rear panel 13A. It will moreover be noted that the fold line F13 is located and extends along what would be the medial longitudinal center line of the rear panel 1 3A. This location is for definition, and the precise location of the fold line F13 can be varied insofar as the center line of the panel 13A is concerned.

In the carton blank 10B, the opening panel 11 has the portion 111 (Fig. 4) coplanar with the rear panel 13A, has the top section 1.1T (Fig. 3) coplanar with the top panel 12A, and has an intermediate portion of the closure flap 11F coplanar with the glue flap 46. Subdividing of the opening panel 11 from these coplanar portions of the carton blank is accomplished by perforate lines and slit lines as will be observed in Fig. 1.

Thus, slit lines 42 and 43 are afforded normal to the ends of the fold line F13 and terminate at the fold line F1 which in effect represents the top edgeof the erected carton as will be clear from the description to follow. The slit lines 4-2 and 43 join to perforate lines .4 and 45 which converge slightly toward one another in a direction proceeding toward the glue flap 40, and slightly inwardly of the fold line F12 the perforate lines 44 and 4S sharply converge at 44A anad 44B and eventually terminate at the fold line F12. This sharp convergence facilitates tearing of the opening panel along the mentioned perforate lines.

The part of the closure flap 11F coplanar with the glue flap 40, is indicated at 11C in Figs. 1 and 3. The portion 11C can be divided from the glue fiap by slit lines or perforate lines 44C and 44D connected to 44A and 44B respectively. Hence, the closure flap 11F terminates at a fold line F12 which is coincident with the fold line F12, so that the closure tab or flap 11F is pen manently joined to the opening panel and is freely foldable about the fold line F12 relative to the top portion 11T of the opening panel. The closure tab 11F includes a second fold line F14, Fig. l, which is colinear with the free or outer edge of the glue flap 40. The inner side of the closure tab is preferably provided with the glue spots P.

Secured to the inside surfaces of the top panel 12A and the rear side panel 13A, as by glue slots P1, is the flexible transparent liner 2t), and this liner is unsecured to any portion of the opening panel 11.

Fig. 2 illustrates the state in which the blank 10B is folded and shipped to the eventual user in a flat condition. Thus, as an initial step in assembly, the front side panel 15A together with the end tabs associated thereopening panel.

with is folded upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 2 about the fold line F3 and the slits 33 so as to lie flat against the inside surface of the bottom panel 21A. After this, the top panel 12A together with the glue flap 4t and end tabs associated therewith is folded downwardly, as viewed in Fig. 1, about the fold line F1 and the slits 35 so that the glue flap 4t), as shown in Fig. 2, will overlie what constitutes the top section of the front panel 15A.

The glue panel 40, and the section 11C of the closure flap, having been adhered to the upper portion of the front panel 15, the blank as shown in Fig. 2 is in a flat closed state, and incidental to filling the carton with its contents the folded blank shown in 1GB is erected to reveal the open ends. The two side end tabs at one end (left or right) are folded inwardly toward one another, and then the related two bottom and top end tabs are folded in such a manner that the top end tab 2513 (or 2613 as the case may be) is folded down over the related upwardly folded bottom end tab 25A (or 26A as the case may be). The glue strip G82 (or G83 as the case may be) having been activated, the overlapped end tabs are then adhered together. The remaining end of the partially erected carton is open and the contents for the carton inserted through this open end, whereafter the tabs at such open end are closed up and sealed as in the foregoing manner thereby completing construction of the carton 10.

In displaying the merchandise within the carton 10, the clerk in the store peels back the opening panel 11 by grasping the closure flap and tearing the opening panel loose along the perforate lines. The opening panel is then folded rearwardly about the fold line F13 which permanently joins the opening panel to the rear wall of the carton, and the opening panel 11 is also folded along the fold line F1 to dispose the top portion 11T of the opening panel beneath the bottom Wall of the carton as shown in Fig. 4. This results in exposure of the data receiving panel 11P as indicated in Fig. 4 on which the price of the merchandise can be conveniently marked. In this connection, it will be noted that the pricing or display panel 111 will inherently assume an angle of approximately 45, with the carton on the shelf holding the top portion UT of the opening panel in a substantially concealed position between the bottom wall of the carton and shelf in the store in which the carton is reposing. The contents within the carton are directly visible either through the opening in the side wall 13 or the opening in the top wall of the carton re 'ealed by the unfolded After purchase, the opening panel is folded back to its normal position, closing the liner 20, and the closure flap is inserted into the receiving slot S.

It will be seen from the foregoing that under the present invention, merchandise within a carton is displayed through a transparent liner by unfolding an opening panel which has portions normally coplanar with the top wall and one side wall of the carton, and this is attaned under circumstances Where a part of the opening panel is used as a price panel conveniently displayed on the store shelf with the carton.

Hence, while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is understood that this is capable of variation and modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A display carton comprising a top wall including a body portion, a bottom wall, front and rear and end walls; an opening panel having a top portion formed coplanar with and constituting a part of the top wall of the carton and being connected by perforate lines to the said body portion of said top wall, said opening panel including a side wall portion formed coplanar with and constituting part of one side wall of the carton and bearing data on its inner surface, and said opening panel being movable out of the plane of the said top wall and out of the plane of said one side wall of the said carton; the said data bearing portion of said opening panel being permanently joined to said one side wall along a longitudinal fold line extending parallel to and above the lower edge of said one side wall approximately at the longitudinal center line of said one side Wall; said opening panel being foldable about said longitudinal fold line out of the plane of said top wall and out of the plane of said side Wall to enable the said top portion of the said opening panel to be hingedly pivoted about said longitudinal fold line and extended under and parallel to the bottom wall of the said carton, with said data-bearing portion of said opening panel extending downwardly at an acute angle away from the said side wall to expose to view the data on the inner surface of said data-bearing portion of said side wall; said opening panel including a second longitudinal fold line coincident with the top edge of said side wall; a transparent sheet including a portion secured to the inside surface of the said top wall of said carton below the top Wall portion of said opening panel and said transparent sheet having a portion extending downwardly along the inner surface of said one side wall and secured to the inner 25 surface thereof and enclosing the area of said one side wall defined by said data-bearing portion of said side wall portion of said opening panel; said carton including glue flaps joined to said top wall thereof at opposite sides of said top wall portion of said opening panel along a longitudinal fold line and being adhesively united to the other one of said side walls; and means for releasably lathing the said opening panel to the said other one of said side walls.

2. A display carton as defined in claim 1 in which the said other side wall of said carton has a lathing slot formed therein, and in which said opening panel includes a. lath tab portion hingedly connected to the body of said opening panel along a fold line and between said glue flaps and insertable into said lathing slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

